CHARLOTTETOWN, PE – After internal discussion within the Baseball PEI Board of Directors, Baseball PEI is amending our Return-to-Play/Operational Plan in regards to parents/guardians attending games.
Starting on Friday, 26 June, Phase #4 of the Renew PEI Together plan will come into effect. That will mean that the maximum number of people permitted in an outdoor gathering for organized sporting events will increase from twenty (20) to fifty (50) people, and as such, typical games involving all of the players of two teams, their coaches and team staff, and umpires will be able to take place. Also, according to the Chief Public Health Office of Prince Edward Island, any parents/guardians/fans watching the game from bleachers or along the fence at a field will also be included in the number of fifty (50).
For several weeks, Baseball PEI has grappled with how to have games yet allow parents/guardians to be able to participate and stay within the number of fifty (50) people permitted at an outdoor gathering for a sporting event.
As such, for each sanctioned Baseball PEI game played while Phase #4 is in effect (including exhibition, regular-season, Provincial Championship and any other games), Baseball PEI will permit the following people at the field:
- The players of each team participating in the game.
- The coaches of each team participating in the game (a maximum of five [5] coaches per team).
- One scorekeeper and one pitch counter for each team (please note that each of these positions must be filled by a parent/guardian of a player participating on that team).
- The umpires officiating the game.
- One parent/guardian per umpire, if the umpire is under the age of 16-years-old.
- One parent/guardian per player of the away team.
- Please note that if a coach of a team is a parent/guardian, that coach will be considered the one (1) parent/guardian permitted for that player, and no other parent/guardian is permitted to be at the field watching that player. As well, the scorekeeper and pitch counter for each team will be considered the one (1) parent/guardian permitted for that player, and no other parent/guardian is permitted to be at the field watching that player.
Please note that the minor baseball association and/or municipality has the right to restrict parents from being at the field for a sanctioned Baseball PEI game. However, if they wish to permit one parent/guardian per player of the away team to view the games along the fence or sitting on bleachers, that is permitted now under Baseball PEI’s Return-to-Play/Operation Plan.
When considering the number of players, coaches, team staff and officials participating in a game, by allowing one (1) parent/guardian per player of the away team in each game to either stand along the fence or sit in the bleachers, the number of people at a baseball game will be fifty (50) or less. As well, it gives one parent/guardian per player a chance to watch their child at the field (either alongside the fence or in the bleachers) for approximately half of the games their child will play throughout the summer.
It should be noted that if we permitted one (1) parent/guardian for every player participating in a game to watch their child from the field, we would not be able to guarantee either fifty (50) or fewer people at a baseball game, and that would be in contradiction of CPHO rules involving the maximum number of people permitted at an organized outdoor sporting event. Therefore, Baseball PEI decided to permit one (1) parent/guardian of each player on the away team to watch the game at the field to give some parents/guardians the opportunity to view approximately half of their child’s games at the field and still stay with CPHO rules for the number of people permitted in an outdoor gathering for a sporting event. All parents/guardians watching the games, like players, coaches, scorekeepers, pitch counters, et cetera, will still have to observe physical distancing.
To be clear, this means that parents/guardians of players on the home team during games – unless they are coaches/scorekeepers/pitch counters/umpires – will still have to either drop off their child at the game and either pick them up at the end of the game or watch the game from their vehicle (this also applies to the other family members/guardians of players on the away team who are not the one [1] parent/guardian who is permitted to watch the game at the field). For Baseball PEI and its minor baseball associations to follow the rules laid out by the CPHO, we cannot allow parents from both teams to watch the game at the field and still stay within maximum gathering limits. For this to work, parents/guardians of players on the home team must respect and observe these rules. Failure to do this may result in games breaking the maximum number of people permitted at the field for a game and potentially lead to warnings/sanctions from the CPHO, and/or Baseball PEI reconsidering this directive. All parents/guardians must follow these rules so Baseball PEI, its minor baseball associations and teams do not have to worry about breaking CPHO rules and the potential consequences of these actions.
It should be noted that if the numbers permitted at outdoor organized sporting gatherings rise throughout the summer, Baseball PEI will review this policy and make adjustments to allow more parents/guardians/fans to watch the games at the field, if possible.
Baseball PEI would like to thank all parents/guardians for observing these rules, to ensure all players have the best summer of baseball possible. Also, we would like to remind all parents/guardians, players, coaches, officials and others that we are only nine (9) days from typical baseball games. Play ball!
To Read Baseball PEI’s updated return to play policy, click here: https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/40ed-2187367/Baseball_PEI_RTP_Guidelines__16_June_2020_.pdf#_ga=2.92167442.949862510.1592407419-424097625.1580135140
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Summerside Area Baseball Association (SABA) is the governing body of minor baseball in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, and surrounding communities and has been growing the game since 1981. It is Baseball PEI’s largest association with 300 + players registered per season. SABA offers Baseball opportunities to children 4 years of age up to 18 years of age.
For more information on Summerside Baseball, visit www.summersidebaseball.ca or contact: [email protected]
